Friday, June 28, 2019
Superheroes at Marymar
Photographed on Feb. 6, 2019.
On June 2, 2016, the Tucson Foodie rated Marymar as one of the 19 best raspados spots in Tucson. A Raspado is a Mexican-style shaved-ice drink topped with fruit, flavoring, syrup, and various condiments.
Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.
Update (March 18, 2022): This mural has been updated and there's a mural on the front too. See today's post Raspados Marymar Revisited.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Fun worldwide street art that fits in
street_art pic.twitter.com/eKsW9egiaZ
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
For the past week, I've been following a bunch of street art on Twitter. Here's some of what I found of street art that fits in.
Street art pic.twitter.com/8FMP8qRZP8
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Art around the bunkers by Cece - in France pic.twitter.com/ARU1zFMTaT
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Crosswalk pic.twitter.com/DgnlLTxa0D
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Cool concept. Accordion Bus. pic.twitter.com/Bh7yeJcb8p
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 22, 2019
Minions Artista: PAO Milan, Italia pic.twitter.com/CpIFbhjuPG
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Urban art pic.twitter.com/DKAqqJUaoC
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 23, 2019
?Felicidad? pic.twitter.com/tFE4PbPn9P
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 22, 2019
Lectura pic.twitter.com/VKbR7TfpYc
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 23, 2019
Banksy - New York City, 2014 (LP) pic.twitter.com/xOanybq2UH
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
too late... pic.twitter.com/9yaXFH5dDx
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Los libros son la base del saber pic.twitter.com/GDRoosu8UG
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
valloria - painted doors pic.twitter.com/EmEkK0KyiR
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 22, 2019
Lisboa pic.twitter.com/rFwqh4L2wj
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Street Door Art. Creative Painted Doors Around The World. pic.twitter.com/svH57u6ETU
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 23, 2019
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
David Zinn pic.twitter.com/NjuwIWvqa3
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
David Zinn, USA, 2016 pic.twitter.com/UKQDyCeowx
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
OakOak Pickaxe Head New Street Piece - Saint-Etienne, France pic.twitter.com/bhNvgOkSWm
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Super kick karate pic.twitter.com/bd0ntYL1Nf
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 23, 2019
would love to see some of this sidewalk art in person pic.twitter.com/umF8hxyc46
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Cool 3D art pic.twitter.com/GvZcmCc2oB
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 23, 2019
By Jana & JS in Salzburg, Austria pic.twitter.com/zsZdNxeHbj
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Jana & JS, London, UK pic.twitter.com/uXglt1PpNV
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Great streetart pic.twitter.com/d1NdAV61lo
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Hammer Boy By Banksy Canvas Print https://t.co/IAAQ7XBmA3 pic.twitter.com/sMTgfrw3ZH
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
astonishing pic.twitter.com/o2uJfyGa8K
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Arte Urbana - A arte de ver beleza nas coisas mais simples. pic.twitter.com/2l8v25Wsu7
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
by Charles Leval aka Levalet, Paris pic.twitter.com/HwOgtwewVj
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
penguins on the wall pic.twitter.com/fklnIyCYhj
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
optical illusion st art: Pavement art in Columbia pic.twitter.com/YzaRM1KFFv
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Street art Mr. THOMS Il RisucchiAttore esterno Tunnel del Quadraro pic.twitter.com/WrnAnAgIcj
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
by Seth (French street artist Julien Malland (aka Seth) & Kislow (Sevastopol, Ukraine). pic.twitter.com/rzQ8IcPX10
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
outstanding pic.twitter.com/y7FIxjIyJm
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
French artist Christian Gu pic.twitter.com/ZGPVinn5dk
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
haha! Great use of satellite dishes Muah! ~Digbeth, Birmingham, UK pic.twitter.com/UQwoB6dXXX
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Street art illusions pic.twitter.com/onR7FweghN
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
portrait of dancer Anna Seymour by Guido van Helten in Sydney, 1/17 (LP) pic.twitter.com/1uSzhuwnsw
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Bratislava by jaime.silva pic.twitter.com/rbjUcUDHAx
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Life pic.twitter.com/8stSNSNU3C
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 22, 2019
Street art pic.twitter.com/ggk6TMhjm0
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Teeth pic.twitter.com/zrgwRdLN1Z
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Jack pic.twitter.com/xeKyinGGXB
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
ESTE S pic.twitter.com/tT2cQd5woW
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Top story: more pic.twitter.com/tixNFhgt2n
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 19, 2019
Street Art o Clet Abraham pic.twitter.com/gzhI7p28ME
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Cool urban art pic.twitter.com/7ksRuX02Hd
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 21, 2019
Heart pic.twitter.com/KBUBuwP86F
— Street Art Magic (@streetartmagic) June 20, 2019
Friday, June 21, 2019
Yerberia San Miguel
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
More mural photos in the AZ Daily Star
A look at some of Tucson's many beautiful murals
A lot of the murals are on this blog, but some aren't. (I don't need to tell you that Tucson has a lot of murals!)
Friday, June 14, 2019
A's Barber Shop
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
(Not) Mural Lovers, part 5: Howsabout movin' that junk?
Friday, June 07, 2019
Owwwwry Park
The mural was still pretty spectacular unless you stood up close. Here are earlier blog entries showing it in better shape:
I'll include a description of the photos, left to right. I took it from the Waymarking page The Oury Park mural - Tucson, AZ. Since it's called the Artist Statement and the Description, I'll hope that copying it here isn't a problem. The artists' website isn't working.) Let's start with a photo of the mural from across the playing field in front of it.
(As always, you can click for a larger view — in this case, a much larger view: It's a big mural! Also as always, if you want a full-size copy of any individual photos below, write me through the Contact Us form at the right edge. The photos are all in the public domain, though we appreciate credit.)
I'll try to include each part of the description underneath the photo it describes. They won't always fit neatly, so you may have to do some scrolling. Here goes:
Artist Statement: The murals are a reflection on the vital elements that helped shape Barrio Anita's past and future. The murals pay homage to the family members, leaders, and artists who nurture the people of Anita. These figures are intertwined with presentations of the water that once flowed through the neighborhood and which brought together a diverse population.
Description: The Barrio Anita Mural Project combines photography, mosaic and painted murals, metal features, and words into a comprehensive community art project expressing the past, present, and future of Barrio Anita, one of Tucson’s oldest neighborhoods with a population reflecting Tucson’s heritage including Native-American, Mexican-American, Chinese-American, African-American and Anglo-American residents.
The mural measures 14’ x 390’ and viewing from the left side moving to the right the mural shows the following:
The Woman of the River has lifeblood and energy running out of her vessel, themes and colors that continue through the rest of the piece. She is covered in flowers, and she feeds spiritual energy to the community. Discussions during early meetings with the Anita community inspired this figure from tales told of the neighborhood. The artists wanted to take these stories and imbed them in the history of the neighborhood. The water and blood that flow through the piece are the synergy that weaves the entire piece together, giving it symmetry. The model for this particular figure was the granddaughter of one of the Orie Tigers baseball league.
(Above is a closeup of the clothing of the Woman of the River.)
Rio Santa Cruz. This river was once a part of the neighborhood prior to the construction of Interstate 10. Water played an important role in the daily lives of the people of this community. There was once an irrigation ditch that ran through and under some of the homes here, and people from the neighborhood used to swim in it to cool off.
Dr. Laura Banks. Banks grew up in the neighborhood during the mid 20th century. At the time there was a greater African American population in Anita. She had to drop out of high school at one point but managed to go back and finish and she then continued on to the University of Arizona. She received a degree in education and then worked at Davis School. In 1980, she was selected as the first African American Assistant Superintendent in TUSD and retired from that position in 1982. Dr. Banks was also a prominent civil-rights leader in Tucson. Today there is a Tucson middle school named after her.
Davis School.
Mr. Alfredo Valenzuela. “Mr. V” taught mariachi band courses at Davis School for over 25 years and still continues despite his retirement. He has inspired hundreds of student and professional musicians. His students carried the mariachi tradition throughout the community, and this is visually represented with the lifeblood pouring through his guitar, where it gains energy and continues through the mural.
The Heart and Hands. This central image in the mural is the visual representation of the community. The hands are supporting a glass heart, again adding to the overall symmetry of the piece. The blood and water that run through the piece converge on the heart, the community, as an essential part of the circulation of Barrio Anita.
Oury Park (now David Herrera & Ramon Quiroz Park). This image features the Rosas, the neighborhood’s women’s softball team, on the left, and the Tigers, the men’s baseball league, with David Herrera as the central figure. Herrera served as director of the Recreation Center in Barrio Anita and played an essential role in getting the neighborhood involved in sports and community outreach. Alisa Cortez sits on his shoulder, representing the current rec center students.
Frank Soto and his mother. The mural closes with this pair. The Sotos’ Apache heritage reminds the viewer that this area was once Apache land. Soto’s mother holds the same vessel seen in the beginning of the mural with the lifeblood and spirit of the neighborhood flowing into it. This representation not only seals the symmetry of the mural, it also serves as a reminder of her role as a medicine woman in the barrio.
The Waymarking page The Oury Park mural - Tucson, AZ ends with:
- Artist: William Wilson & Joshua Sarantitus of Hozhographos Studios
- Date: 2005
- Media: Ceramic and glass tile, cast concrete, ecrete, steel and paint
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Dent Busters
Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.
Update (March 15, 2022): There's another mural along the back wall of their parking lot.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Little mural painted for Patricia
As I was wandering through the Lost Barrio (a commercial area on a dead-end part of Park Avenue south of Broadway) on August 22, 2018, I spotted this little mural on a wall by the entrance to Tooley's Cafe. It seemed to have been painted around with new wall paint, as if it had been there for a while.
But who is Francisco? The artist's last name(s) seem to have been painted over. I remember a mural on South Meyer Avenue in the same style. It has a scroll signed “Francisco / 1990”. You can see it at the bottom of the May 31,2009 entry (just by chance, exactly ten years ago!) Marvelous Meyer. If you know whether they're the same artist, or what the artist's name is, please leave a comment below. (You can remain anonymous.)
Update (June 20, 2019): Thenks to David Aber for tracking down the artist. It's Francisco Franklin, a Tucson artist for 50 years. He sells other artwork, too; he's represented by Jane Hamilton Fine Art. His page on her website is janehamiltonfineart.com/franklin/.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Murals Being Made, Part 50: Davis Elementary main entrrance
On May 12, 2018, I stopped by mural-covered Davis Bilingual Elementary school to snap photos of Luis Gustavo Mena painting a doors at the school's main (south) entrance. He wasn't finished at the time I got there; I just noticed this as I was going through the photos.
I went back to the school for permission on May 15th (2019). The person I spoke with said that Mena (as he calls himself) is well-loved and has done a lot for the school. She pointed me toward his cafeteria mural and let me wander the school to find all the murals by students. I'll include all of those photos in a later blog entry (I promise :).
Let's start with the photo I took a year ago:
Next, the finished mural, followed by a closeup of Dolores Huerta:
The colored handprints are by students.
Friday, May 24, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
(Not) Mural Lovers, part 4: tagged and re-tagged
It was probably in September, 2015, that the murals were repainted for the last time. (You can see the original versions in the last two links in the list above.) Then — probably in the first half of 2018 — a tagger trashed the murals. Most had just a single tag, but one was completely trashed:
The murals stayed tagged for almost a year. But sometime around mid-May of 2019, the murals were cleaned up, the tags mostly erased or painted over. I came back as soon as I could to take photos… but the murals had been tagged again!
I decided to spend a few hours this past Sunday with my favorite free photo editor, GIMP, making copies of the mural with the tags edited out. I didn't get every bit of the damage, but it was satisfying enough!
So here are two photos of each of the ten panels, from left (the northwest end) to right (closest to the building at 191 Toole). The first photo shows the repaired and re-tagged mural on May 17, 2019. Next is my edited version. I'll wrap up with a photo of the fun sign to the right side of the panels. It hasn't been re-tagged (yet).
For some reason, this first panel wasn't re-tagged:
Friday, May 17, 2019
Rock replaces Rock
The left half of the wall had been replaced with a mural featuring Tucson's El Tiradito shrine.
I came back on July 27th and got a much better closeup:
You can see more photos of this busy wall over time on the section called 197 East Toole of the page Layers of murals: histories of a few walls.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Art makers and lovers, please keep us all in touch
If you love art — either to make it or just look at it — I'd be glad to spread the word about things you make or find. Email a photo (larger, with more pixels worth of detail, is better) announcement flier, etc., to
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kt18V-EdZHsuCVZZSrUhQW7Qx_PpgMkg4wxCI81ruuy1V3tjBaSsyMwnOG96U7AtgM15bgEG7lDzNhA6gQpd339Hh-ElV-thXHRaVQ7q40zIcfymwABt8z687Dc-6_1OXaE/s1600/tucsonart.info_200x24.png)